More than 40 Covid patients in Shropshire's hospitals
More than 40 Covid patients were being cared for at the county's hospitals last week, latest figures show.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, was caring for 34 coronavirus patients as of last Tuesday, according to NHS England data.
The number of people being treated at the county's acute hospitals for Covid-19 by 8am on September 7 was down from 38 on the same day the previous week.
But bed numbers occupied by people who tested positive for the virus have more than doubled there in the last four weeks – 28 days before, there were 16.
It comes as bosses at SaTH say the rising number of Covid patients in its hospitals has been partially responsible for temporary cancellations of some routine surgery – although the most clinically urgent cases are being prioritised.
The figures also show that 38 new Covid patients were admitted to the trust's hospitals in the week to September 5.
This was down from 52 in the previous seven days.
Meanwhile, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust was caring for seven coronavirus patients in hospital as of last Tuesday – up from four on the same day the previous week.
The number has risen since four weeks beforehand when only one bed was occupied by a Covid-19 patient.
And on September 7, one Covid patient was being cared for at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, near Oswestry.
There were none there the previous week or month.
Across England there were 6,244 people in hospital with Covid as of September 7, with 885 of them in mechanical ventilation beds.
The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised nationally has increased by 23 per cent in the last four weeks, while the number on mechanical ventilators has increased by 13 per cent.
A number of walk-in and pop-up Covid vaccination clinics are continuing to operate across the county, with health bosses saying two doses of the vaccine provides the best protection against the virus.
To view the locations visit stwics.org.uk/our-priorities/covid-19-vaccination-programme/walk-in-clinic-times
